11 1The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD
saying, 2Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak
unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 3And
say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the
man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant, 4Which I
commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of
the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and
do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my
people, and I will be your God: 5That I may perform the
oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land
flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and
said, So be it, O LORD. 6Then the LORD said unto me,
Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets
of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do
them. 7For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the
day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this
day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice. 8Yet
they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the
imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them
all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do: but
they did them not. 9And the LORD said unto me, A
conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the
inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10They are turned back to the
iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and
they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and
the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their
fathers.

11Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will
bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and
though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them. 12Then
shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry
unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save
them at all in the time of their trouble. 13For according
to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to
the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that
shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal. 14Therefore
pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for
them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for
their trouble. 15What hath my beloved to do in mine
house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy
flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou
rejoicest. 16The LORD called thy name, A green olive
tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he
hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.
17For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced
evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the
house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke
me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.

18And the LORD
hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou shewedst me
their doings. 19But I was like a lamb or an ox that is
brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised
devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit
thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that
his name may be no more remembered. 20But, O LORD of
hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the
heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I
revealed my cause. 21Therefore thus saith the LORD of the
men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the
name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand: 22Therefore
thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young
men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die
by famine: 23And there shall be no remnant of them: for I
will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their
visitation.

12 1Righteous
art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee
of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper?
wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously? 2Thou
hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they
bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their
reins. 3But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me,
and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the
slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter. 4How
long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for
the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed,
and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end.

5If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied
thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of
peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou
do in the swelling of Jordan? 6For even thy brethren, and
the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with
thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them
not, though they speak fair words unto thee.

7I have
forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the
dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. 8Mine
heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against
me: therefore have I hated it. 9Mine heritage is unto me
as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye,
assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour. 10Many
pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion
under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate
wilderness. 11They have made it desolate, and being
desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate,
because no man layeth it to heart. 12The spoilers are
come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of
the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other
end of the land: no flesh shall have peace. 13They have
sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain,
but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues
because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

14Thus saith the
LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance
which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will
pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from
among them. 15And it shall come to pass, after that I
have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them,
and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man
to his land. 16And it shall come to pass, if they will
diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The
LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall
they be built in the midst of my people. 17But if they
will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation,
saith the LORD.

13 1Thus
saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it
upon thy loins, and put it not in water. 2So I got a
girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.
3And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time,
saying, 4Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is
upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a
hole of the rock. 5So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as
the LORD commanded me. 6And it came to pass after many
days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take
the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there. 7Then
I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place
where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was
profitable for nothing. 8Then the word of the LORD came
unto me, saying, 9Thus saith the LORD, After this manner
will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.
10This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which
walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods,
to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle,
which is good for nothing. 11For as the girdle cleaveth
to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole
house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that
they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a
praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.

12Therefore
thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of
Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say
unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be
filled with wine? 13Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus
saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this
land, even the kings that sit upon David's throne, and the priests,
and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with
drunkenness. 14And I will dash them one against another,
even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not
pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.

15Hear
ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken. 16Give
glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before
your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for
light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross
darkness. 17But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall
weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore,
and run down with tears, because the LORD's flock is carried away
captive. 18Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble
yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even
the crown of your glory. 19The cities of the south shall
be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away
captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive. 20Lift
up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the
flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock? 21What
wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them
to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee,
as a woman in travail?

22And if thou say in thine heart,
Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine
iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare. 23Can
the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye
also do good, that are accustomed to do evil. 24Therefore
will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of
the wilderness. 25This is thy lot, the portion of thy
measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me,
and trusted in falsehood. 26Therefore will I discover thy
skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear. 27I have
seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy
whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe
unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it
once be?